Taliban forces detained 18 employees of the International Assistance Mission (IAM), a Christian aid organization, in Lal-a-Sarjangal district of Ghor province, sources confirmed. Among them are six women and an American citizen.
Reportedly, the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) carried out the raids that led to these arrests.
Abdulwahid Hamas, the spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Ghor, confirmed the raid to TOLOnews, saying that 21 employees of a “Foreign Organization” were detained on charges of “Promoting Christianity.” According to Mr. Hamas, an American citizen named Judy was also detained along with 14 men and seven women, all local employees.
IAM confirmed the arrest of its employees, including one international staff member, by the Taliban in a statement released today, September 15. “We are unaware of the circumstances that led to these incidents and have not been advised of the reason for the detention of our staff members,” the statement read.
The organization also did not disclose further information about the identity of its detained foreign employee.
The organization also says that two Afghan nationals and one international were detained earlier this month, on September 3, followed by 15 Afghan employees captured on September 13. According to the organization, all 18 individuals have now been transferred to Kabul.
Local sources also confirmed the September 3 incident, stating that in today’s raid, the Taliban seemed to have the full list of IAM employees with them, which they used to choose those they arrested.
It is not the first time IAM finds itself the target Islamic militancy. In August 2010, the Taliban killed ten aid workers of IAM in Badakhshan when they were returning to Kabul from a two-week mission in Nuristan province. The Taliban’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid had said that the group was targeted because they “spied for the Americans” and “promoted christianity.”
The Taliban have a long history of persecuting non-Muslim believers. In August 2001, months before the collapse of their first regime, they arrested 24 employees of Vision for Asia, a Christian-based German NGO, and 64 staff members of Shelter Now International, also a faith-based organization, over charges of proselytizing.
According to information on the IAM’s website, it was established in Kabul in 1966. The organization has over 300 paid Afghan staff and more than 20 foreign employees, most of them Christian volunteers. IAM focuses on eye care, mental health, education, and development initiatives.
Taliban has closed the NGO’s Office and instructed its employees not to return to work until further notice.
In November 2022, the leader of the Taliban issued a decree prohibiting women from working with foreign and domestic organizations. Taliban officials warned that severe actions would be taken against those who defied the decree. After the decree, several international aid agencies, including faith-based NGOs such as UK’s Christian Aid, closed their operations in Afghanistan.